Slamdance Film Festival 2026 Review: “The Plan”

By Morgan Roberts

Director: Jessica Barr
Writer: Jessica Barr
Stars: Ryan Simpkins, An-Li Bogan, Eve Lindley, Jordan Hull, Arkira Chantaratananond, Percy Hynes White, Logan Miller, Frank Mosley
Runtime: 74 minutes
Year: 2026

“The Plan” from writer/director Jessica Barr is a knockout and haunting slow burn that will have you on the edge of your seat, without realizing it. When a group of friends all convene at an apartment, it seems as if the dynamic of the group is in a major upheaval. In quick succession, the group assembles into this apartment, and as the day unfolds, the tensions in the group reveal a far darker dynamic than one can imagine.

The film largely takes place in a single setting - an apartment. Any film that utilizes a single space for a majority of the film has to understand how to retain its audience’s attention. “The Plan” perfectly executes mounting tension and gradually reveals itself. Employing an almost cinema vérité style of filmmaking, “The Plan” squarely places the audience as a spectator to the events. Often, you feel like a fly on the wall, wondering what in particular is happening in front of you. The audience incrementally learns the dynamics amongst the group. We see who the steadfast, albeit strict, leader is. Who tends to be a disrupter and who aims to keep the peace. But at the center of all of this is the plan itself - and I’m not going to reveal that; it is so brilliantly executed, I would certainly spoil the fun/horror if I wrote more.

What also makes the tension so palpable is how the film is shot. “The Plan” is shot in a single, uninterrupted take, weaving between rooms, characters, and dynamics. It gives the film a real ticking time bomb feel, because, even if you follow a character into another room or pan elsewhere, you’re never truly far from what happened before. I imagine there was an extensive rehearsal process because the timing had to be just right in every single moment.

At the core of the film is this haunting plan - that, again, I will tease but not reveal. This group consists of young people aiming to make a real change in their world. But, as a true reflection of where we are, how to execute that change, what is born from that change, are difficult to agree upon. It is quite engaging to see not only how these interpersonal dynamics shift, but each individual’s understanding of their own values and morals morph throughout the film. The film has this thought-provoking premise about the disillusion in trust in institutions and the deep seated nihilism from failed promises from previous generations.

“The Plan” is a surprising thriller that will leave you with a pit in your stomach by the end. A true feat in technical filmmaking, this independent film utilizes a single, uninterrupted take to build the most suffocating tension in such an artfully subtle manner.

Grade: A
Pair This Film With: “Night Moves” (2013) dir. Kelly Reichardt